Roller bearing wheel



Sept. 18, 1934. BUKQLT I 1,973,747

ROLLER BEARING WHEEL Filed 001;. 27, 1928 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS Patented Sept. 18, 1934 STATES PATENT GFFICE ROLLER BEARING WHEEL Roman B. Bukolt, Stevens Point, Wis.

Application October 27, 1928, Serial No. 315,581

1 Claim. (01. 30163) This invention relates to roller bearing wheels. comprising the individual sheet metal disks or It is the object of this invention to provide plates 5 and 6 oppositely dished or axially disa novel and improved roller bearing unit and torted'at 7 and 8 respectively for strength. The

a novel and improved assembly of such unit in two disks are riveted together at 9 and provided ia wheel for the purpose of effecting economy of at 10 with opposing flanges adapted to receive manufacture and a more satisfactorily operable the tire l1. Registering apertures are provided construction than has heretofore been available. in the centers of the respective disks at 15 and In roller bearing wheels of the type to which 16 to receive an axle shaft and the bearing means this invention relates it has been customary to hereinafter to be described.

provide elongated rollers extending completely In accordance with this invention, each of the through the hub of the wheel. When used in component disk members 5 and 6 comprising disk wheels such rollers have been mounted in the wheel is separately provided with an indibearing elements unconnected save through the vidual bearing unit. The units are identical.

N opposing disks comprising the wheel and any Each consists of a pair of centrally apertured le'distorticn of the wheel has made possible the cups 17, each having a radial flange 18 at its dis-arrangement of the bearing. I have found margin. The two cups together provide a bearthat it is not only less expensive but far more ing race into which the rollers 19 are inserted practicable to provide separate roller units in in annular series. The cup flanges are then which the rollers are of short length and are riveted or welded together at 20. The rollers as closely confined by bearing members rigidly conmay be inserted in one of the cups before the S nected with each other. other is fastened thereto and are held in properly Further economies are efiected through standspaced relation by means of a disk 21 confined ardization which is made possible by the fact between the flanges 18 of the cups 17 and having that the roller units may be used in various apertures to engage and position the central 25 forms of wheels irrespective of the spacing beportions of the rollers. 0.1 tween disks at the hub of the wheel. The units The same rivets used to secure the bearing cups may also be fastened to the disk in a number 1'? together may be used to secure the bearing unit of different ways to suit the particular designs to the hub portion of either disk 5 or 6, as disof the manufacturer of such wheels and may be closed particularly in Figure 2. It will be obvious as supplied as separate articles of manufacture that in such case a single riveting operation will 35'? either assembled or disassembled. The units, secure together the component parts of the bearfurtherrnore, lend themselves to use in wire ing unit and will fix such unit in place in the wheels With ut C a ge other than the p ov sion wheel. It will further be obvious that it is broadof apertures to receive the spokes of such wheels. 1y immaterial whether the flanges of the bearing A Single u Serves in both left and right hand unit are disposed within the disk, as shown in Fig- 901 locations and is adapte in y location t0 receive ure 2, or on the outside face of the disk or whether and retain a hub cap. the disk is received between such flanges, as

In the drawingshown in Figure 3. Figure 1 is a Side elevatiOIl a Wheel It may be observed, however, that in the conbodyine th invention. the hub n and a portion struction shown in Figures 1 and 2 the load is of the bearing unit race being broken away to transmitted directly from the inner periphery of expose the rollers therein; the disk to the shoulder formed on flange 18 with- Figure 2 is an axial vertical section through in which the skeleton cage 21 is housed, the rivets the wheel shown in Figure 1; performing the sole function of securing the parts Figure 3 is a detail showing a slightly modified together; whereas in the Figure 3 construction, 10o application of the parts of the bearing unit to the entire load is transmitted through the rivets. the wheel; It is preferred therefore, to have the margin of the Figure 4 is a detail showing how the same units disk fitted 'to the outer periphery of the cupmay be incorporated ina wire wheel. shaped race member of the unit and engaged 59 Like parts are identified by similar reference either with the inner member or with the outer numerals throughout the several views. member, as suggested in Figure 2.

The wheels herein disclosed are particularly It is also to be observed that in the Figure 3 conadapted for toy vehicles but have a much wider struction, the spacing cage disk 21 is approxiapplication. Referring to Figures 1 and 2 it will mately equal in thickness to the disks 5 and 6 of 55 be noted that these views illustrate a disk wheel the wheel and hence it is not necessary to shoulder spokes 26.

or emboss flanges 18 to receive the cage disk 21, as in the constructions shown in the remaining views.

Figure 4 shows the identical units above described used to provide a hub for a wire wheel. A spacing sleeve 25 slips over the cup portions of the inner race members of the respective bearing units and the flanges of such units are apertured adjacent their peripheries to receive the usual spokes 26. Except for these apertures the units are identical with those previously described and it will be observed that the provision of the apertures will in no wise alter the functioning of units employed in a disk wheel so that if desired a manufacturer may make up these units in quantities and use them in either type of wheel which is in production at the time.

The component race members of the bearing units may be drawn, stamped, or spun and in any event will generally have a very slight taper from the base of the cup toward its'margin. Due to this fact, the sleeve 25 will have a tight frictional engagement with the respective units and will, of course, additionally be retained by the tension on The taper above referred to, however, has a further utility in both types of wheels in that it is adapted to receive and frictionally retain a hub cap such as that shown at 2'7. Due to the fact that left and right units are identical, the hub cap is freely interchangeable between the exposed cup members at either side of the wheel and the wheel may be used in any location upon a toy vehicle or other vehicle in which the bearing structure is employed.

I claim:

In a wheel of the class described, the combination with a rim and radial extending members connected with said rim and axially spaced near the center of the wheel, of identical bearing units connected with the respective members in axially spaced alignment, each of said units comprising a pair of identical sheet metal cups having axial openings therein and radial marginal flanges juxtaposed and connected externally of the bearing units with said members and with each other, and said bearing units constituting a bearing race with approximately cylindrical portions in alignment and each being tapered slightly in external diameter for the frictional retention of a complementary part externally applied thereto.

ROMAN B. BUKOLT. 

